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Gerund Phrases - Printable ELA Worksheets grade 7 - Wayground

Gerund Phrases

Jennifer Naylor

Created by Jennifer Naylor

21 questions

6th - 8th Grade

ELA

Updated Aug 2026

This free printable Gerund Phrases worksheet helps students in Grades 6–8 identify gerunds and gerund phrases in complete sentences. Across 21 questions—20 multiple-choice items and one multiple-select item—students distinguish gerunds from verbs, locate gerunds within phrases, identify multiple gerunds in a sentence, and recognize a gerund used after a preposition. Examples include phrases such as “driving her car,” “Learning a new language,” and “piling too much laundry into a washing machine.” The worksheet provides focused English grammar practice for students who are learning how an -ing word can function as a noun within a sentence. Students also apply spelling and usage knowledge when selecting “getting” in a sentence that follows a preposition. Use the activity for independent practice, a grammar review, or a quick assessment of gerund and gerund-phrase identification. It is available as a free printable worksheet and includes a complete answer key for efficient checking.

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Gerund Phrases

Total questions: 21

Name
Class
Date
1.

Identify the gerund phrase:

After the accident, Laura was afraid of driving her car.

a)

After the accident

b)

Laura was afriad

c)

Afraid of driving

d)

driving her car

2.

Identify the gerund phrase:

Learning a new language is taking longer than I expected.

a)

Learning a new language

b)

a new language is taking

c)

is taking longer than

d)

longer than I expected

3.

Identify the gerund phrase:

Paul finished painting the kitchen.

a)

Paul finished painting

b)

Paul finished

c)

finished painting

d)

painting the kitchen

4.
IDENTIFY THE GERUND(S) 
Acting is merely the art of keeping a large group of people from coughing.
a)
acting
b)
keeping
c)
coughing
d)
all of the above
5.

What is the gerund/gerund phrase in the following sentence?

Playing the violin relaxes me.

a)

Playing the violin

b)

relaxes

c)

me

d)

none

6.

What is the gerund/gerund phrase in the following sentence?

I hate losing games.

a)

hate

b)

I

c)

losing games

d)

none

7.

Is the bold word a verb or a gerund?

Getting ready for school takes longer for my sister than for me.

a)

verb

b)

gerund

8.

What is the gerund in this sentence?

My favorite summer activity is sleeping in.

a)

favorite

b)

activity

c)

sleeping

d)

in

9.

What is the gerund in this sentence?

Raising your hand is the best way to get your teacher's attention.

a)

raising

b)

way

c)

get

d)

attention

10.
IDENTIFY THE GERUND(S) 
I'm thinking of painting my house.
a)
I'm 
b)
thinking
c)
painting
d)
house
11.

IDENTIFY THE GERUND(S)

We're going to see the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

a)

going

b)

guard

c)

see

d)

changing

12.

Choose the sentence that has the gerund after a preposition.

a)

I love listening to music.

b)

I'm interested in fashion.

c)

She's worried about playing the guitar.

d)

Reading books is one of my favorite activities.

13.

She is worried about ___________ sick, so she stays home all the time.

a)

gets

b)

getting

c)

geting

d)

get

14.

Identify the gerund phrase.

Piling too much laundry into a washing machine was causing it to malfunction.

a)

washing machine

b)

piling too much laundry into a washing machine

c)

piling too much

d)

was causing it to malfunction

15.

Identify the gerund.

They called her playing brilliant.

a)

They

b)

called

c)

playing

d)

brilliant

16.

What type of gerund is in the following sentence?

Playing the violin helps me relax.

a)

Object of the preposition

b)

Direct Object

c)

Predicate Nominative

d)

Subject

17.

What type of gerund is in the following sentence?

I hate losing games.

a)

Object of the preposition

b)

Direct Object

c)

Predicate Nominative

d)

Subject

18.

What type of gerund is in the following sentence?

People think my interest in watching "The Office" is an obsession.

a)

Object of the preposition

b)

Direct Object

c)

Predicate Nominative

d)

Subject

19.

What type of gerund is in the following sentence?

The toddler needs help with tying her shoe.

a)

Object of the preposition

b)

Direct Object

c)

Predicate Nominative

d)

Subject

20.

What type of gerund is in the following sentence?

Playing with fire is dangerous.

a)

Object of the preposition

b)

Direct Object

c)

Predicate Nominative

d)

Subject

21.

Gerunds will always end in...

a)

-ed

b)

-ing

c)

-op

d)

-n

WaygroundAnswer Key

Gerund Phrases

Total questions: 21

1.
d)

driving her car

2.
a)

Learning a new language

3.
d)

painting the kitchen

4.
d) all of the above
5.
a)

Playing the violin

6.
c)

losing games

7.
b)

gerund

8.
c)

sleeping

9.
a)

raising

10.
c) painting
11.
d)

changing

12.
c)

She's worried about playing the guitar.

13.
b)

getting

14.
b)

piling too much laundry into a washing machine

15.
c)

playing

16.
d)

Subject

17.
b)

Direct Object

18.
a)

Object of the preposition

19.
a)

Object of the preposition

20.
d)

Subject

21.
b)

-ing

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FAQs

What does this Gerund Phrases worksheet help students learn?

This Grade 6–8 English worksheet gives students 21 opportunities to identify gerunds and gerund phrases in sentences, including phrases such as “playing the violin” and “driving her car.” Its multiple-choice and multiple-select items also ask students to distinguish a gerund from a verb, identify more than one gerund in a sentence, and recognize a gerund after a preposition.

How can I use this worksheet to teach gerunds and gerund phrases?

Introduce the worksheet by modeling how to locate the -ing word and then determine whether it functions as a noun, as in “Learning a new language.” Next, have students explain the boundaries of longer phrases such as “piling too much laundry into a washing machine,” and use the preposition item about “playing the guitar” to discuss why the gerund follows “about.”

What mistakes should I watch for when students complete this gerund worksheet?

Students may select an ordinary verb instead of the gerund, such as choosing “thinking” rather than “painting” in “I’m thinking of painting my house.” They may also identify only part of a gerund phrase, miss multiple gerunds in a sentence such as “Acting ... keeping ... coughing,” or choose “get” or the misspelled “geting” instead of “getting” after “about.”

How do I assign and grade this Gerund Phrases worksheet?

On Wayground, you can assign this worksheet as a printable PDF or as a digital quiz, and it includes a complete answer key for checking the 20 multiple-choice and one multiple-select items. Printable submissions can also be graded by scanning student work with the Wayground for Teachers app. The printable option can support schools that are reducing screen time.

How can I differentiate this Gerund Phrases worksheet for my students?

Use the worksheet’s Advanced Settings to adjust font spacing and font size so the gerund-identification choices and longer phrases are easier to read. You can also enable a dyslexia-friendly font or translate the worksheet into another language while keeping its sentence-based multiple-choice format.

Where can I find more worksheets like this on Wayground?

Wayground offers a broad collection of free printable worksheets and practice problems across subjects, with downloadable PDFs and answer keys to help students build essential skills and concepts. Browse more resources at https://wayground.com/en-us/worksheets.

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